New office work build for parents, thoughts? Any compatibility (wattage / dimensions etc) issues

[sjain]

Budget (including currency): Around £400-600 GBP

Country: United Kingdom

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: Office work only, zero gaming.

Other details (existing parts lists, whether any peripherals are needed, what you're upgrading from, when you're going to buy, what resolution and refresh rate you want to play at, etc): 

 

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/fBFTcT

 

what do you think of this as a office PC for my parents? the aim is quietness, small footprint, upgradeability/repairability (i can use old drives etc), and lasting many years (10-15, just like the old prebuilt HP pavillion with Core 2 Quad Q6600, that we bought for £1400 back in 2009)

I did heavy research and the parts the best that will fit the room best, etc etc.

 

Also a quick question: I bought a tube of Arctic MX4 thermal paste and used it in 2018 on two GPUs. Since then it has sat closed in a cardboard box under my bed. The average room temp is like 24-28C, will it still be usable for a new PC if I build it now?

 

These are literally the cheapest components at this price point on most of amazon, pcpartpicker... and going cheaper (its hard to find cheaper stuff) only shaves off like 50-100 quid for all components, and some only have unbranded cheap crap cheaper, which is stupid because it shaves several years of the device's life

 

CPU: i3 —> i5 is like 20 quid, and i5 has more cores and threads, which is better for office work but means PC should be fast for a few more years. Seems overall this is better than AMD for office work:price ratio, or pretty much the same

 

CPU Cooler: just want something active w/ headroom in there, towards the end of the life the old stock intel needed to be squeaky clean, even a bit of dust makes it perform bad. Seems very quiet, and easy install

 

Mobo: No point cheaping out, this is the cheapest but still very solid, I have great experience with ASUS

 

RAM: 20 quid more than 2x4GB

Storage: 2-3 years old SSD & HDD lying around

 

Case: Spent many hours researching it - this looks the best, is easiest to clean, is by far the best use of space and many storage slots which is great, all despite being the cheapest out of all i found. Most others of this form factor arent even available in UK. Also, optical drive - means we can still use the old CDs from the rack. 
and that case can store 3x 3.5" drive, 3x 2.5" ssd, optical drive, and a normal cpu cooler at same time might also be possible to do with gpu, but i don need one

 

PSU: I have great experience with Corsair, this was the cheapest while not skimping on quality, has great reviews, seems to be quiet.

 

The webcam, speakers, DVD drive obviously nothing to say there..

 

All thoughts welcome

[Devryd]

I have a 400W PSU in my PC with a gtx 1070.
Without a GPU 650W is a lot too much. I would go for a cheap amd Athlon 3000 now and then get an AMD zen 3 APU, but I think this is just personal taste. Intel is still on 14nm (++++) so AMD would have better power efficiency. But for a low power office PC it wouldnt be such a big difference I think. I still would go AMD though
 

[Devryd]

As for the thermal paste, it might not be the best performance, but I think it will do for the build

[Quackers101]

if not needing an GPU, you could go with an mini PC.

Although mini PCs might not always be worth while or expensive, and integrated graphics that is quicker to feel old compared to a dedicated GPU (old cheap ones can be found).

Spoiler

Apple mac mini - around 500-400 pounds too? Might need storage connected for more space.

AMD UM700 or other tiers from 500 pounds to 400. Might be better to wait for a future release with newer CPUs.

 

 

[Downkey]

9 minutes ago, Devryd said:

I have a 400W PSU in my PC with a gtx 1070.
Without a GPU 650W is a lot too much. I would go for a cheap amd Athlon 3000 now and then get an AMD zen 3 APU, but I think this is just personal taste. Intel is still on 14nm (++++) so AMD would have better power efficiency. But for a low power office PC it wouldnt be such a big difference I think. I still would go AMD though
 

What? Why?

[Downkey]

this would be much better imo 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-11400 2.6 GHz 6-Core Processor  (£169.99 @ Amazon UK) 
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Pure Rock Slim 2 CPU Cooler  (£25.27 @ Overclockers.co.uk) 
Motherboard: ASRock B560M-ITX/ac Mini ITX LGA1200 Motherboard  (£95.99 @ Amazon UK) 
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory  (£75.59 @ Amazon UK) 
Case: Fractal Design Core 500 Mini ITX Desktop Case  (£54.16 @ CCL Computers) 
Power Supply: Corsair TXM Gold 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply  (£53.05 @ Amazon UK) 
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer  (£15.89 @ CCL Computers) 
Speakers: Logitech Z200 0 nW 2.0 Channel Speakers  (£26.66 @ Amazon UK) 
Webcam: Logitech C270 Webcam  (£24.99) 
Total: £541.59
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-05-25 13:21 BST+0100

[Hairless Monkey Boy]

38 minutes ago, sjain said:

Also a quick question: I bought a tube of Arctic MX4 thermal paste and used it in 2018 on two GPUs. Since then it has sat closed in a cardboard box under my bed. The average room temp is like 24-28C, will it still be usable for a new PC if I build it now?

Yeah, it'll be fine.

38 minutes ago, sjain said:

CPU: i3 —> i5 is like 20 quid, and i5 has more cores and threads, which is better for office work but means PC should be fast for a few more years. Seems overall this is better than AMD for office work:price ratio, or pretty much the same

The 10400 is a good choice for value. The 11400 would be even better as @Downkeyhas selected in their build.

41 minutes ago, sjain said:

CPU Cooler: just want something active w/ headroom in there, towards the end of the life the old stock intel needed to be squeaky clean, even a bit of dust makes it perform bad. Seems very quiet, and easy install

The one you chose will do fine for this.

41 minutes ago, sjain said:

Mobo: No point cheaping out, this is the cheapest but still very solid, I have great experience with ASUS

It's a good board, but the B560 board that @Downkeyselected is cheaper and better in some ways.

 

42 minutes ago, sjain said:

RAM: 20 quid more than 2x4GB

The 2x8GB kit that @Downkeyselected is cheaper and will perform better vs the 1x16GB kit that you had found. Crucial, owned by Micron, is good RAM.

44 minutes ago, sjain said:

Case:

Looks good. 

45 minutes ago, sjain said:

PSU:

650W is obviously overkill, you could get by with 300W, but it's a really good unit for a good price. Nice find.

[sjain]

1 hour ago, Downkey said:

this would be much better imo 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-11400 2.6 GHz 6-Core Processor  (£169.99 @ Amazon UK) 
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Pure Rock Slim 2 CPU Cooler  (£25.27 @ Overclockers.co.uk) 
Motherboard: ASRock B560M-ITX/ac Mini ITX LGA1200 Motherboard  (£95.99 @ Amazon UK) 
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory  (£75.59 @ Amazon UK) 
Case: Fractal Design Core 500 Mini ITX Desktop Case  (£54.16 @ CCL Computers) 
Power Supply: Corsair TXM Gold 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply  (£53.05 @ Amazon UK) 
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer  (£15.89 @ CCL Computers) 
Speakers: Logitech Z200 0 nW 2.0 Channel Speakers  (£26.66 @ Amazon UK) 
Webcam: Logitech C270 Webcam  (£24.99) 
Total: £541.59
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-05-25 13:21 BST+0100

Thanks for your suggestions. I even turned off the compatbility filter while searching CPUs, but completely missed the 11th gen CPUs, had no idea it was the same price.

As for memory, I actually changed to Corsair 2x8GB after accidentally selecting this, but didn't update the URL, but your suggestion is still great cause I didn't realise how the speed made it more expensive for only a tiny jump.

 

As for motherboard, thanks for that, I missed that the ASUS only supports 10th gen, but the ASRock 10th and 11th gen - no brainer pick.

 

1 hour ago, HairlessMonkeyBoy said:

650W is obviously overkill, you could get by with 300W, but it's a really good unit for a good price. Nice find.

 

1 hour ago, Devryd said:

I have a 400W PSU in my PC with a gtx 1070.
Without a GPU 650W is a lot too much.

 

Actually theres a reason for this, I wanted a semi-modular AND 80+ Gold PSU, and the minimum was 550W from a decent brand like Corsair, I know it might be overkill, but I really do not like cheaping out over it, and we actually don't have the best power right now, sometimes turning on shower dims a bulb, and we have lots of power cuts compared to rest of UK (8-9 neighbourhood wide in 2 years), sometimes it comes on and off in minutes when it happens, so I just want it to be more than fine there for peace of mind.

 

The 650W was the same price as the 550W of the same corsair PSU model. Is there any negatives in going for the 650W?

 

1 hour ago, Quackers101 said:

if not needing an GPU, you could go with an mini PC.

Although mini PCs might not always be worth while or expensive, and integrated graphics that is quicker to feel old compared to a dedicated GPU (old cheap ones can be found).

  Reveal hidden contents

Apple mac mini - around 500-400 pounds too? Might need storage connected for more space.

AMD UM700 or other tiers from 500 pounds to 400. Might be better to wait for a future release with newer CPUs.

 

 

I heavily considered this route, as well as a Silverstone Milo 10 build VESA mounted to the back of the monitor, but due to the principles listed in my OP (repairabililty, being able to move my 3.5" HDD into it) I went for this approach instead. I prefer more airflow, having plenty of space to chuck in upgrades or replace every individual part if needed, hard drives laying around, etc etc. Even with the Milo 10 and a low profile CPU cooler, mounting a 3.5" HDD meant it sat literally almost against the CPU cooler, covering it entirely over the top, which is terrible for both components. 

[Hairless Monkey Boy]

3 minutes ago, sjain said:

The 650W was the same price as the 550W. Is there any negatives in going for the 650W?

No meaningful difference for your build, but in the interest of being thorough, it might be ever so slightly less efficient at the load of this PC by like a tenth of a percent. The 650W version is the better buy for sure.

[Downkey]

10 minutes ago, sjain said:

Thanks for your suggestions. I even turned off the compatbility filter while searching CPUs, but completely missed the 11th gen CPUs, had no idea it was the same price.

As for memory, I actually changed to Corsair 2x8GB after accidentally selecting this, but didn't update the URL, but your suggestion is still great cause I didn't realise how the speed made it more expensive for only a tiny jump.

 

As for motherboard, thanks for that, I missed that the ASUS only supports 10th gen, but the ASRock 10th and 11th gen - no brainer pick.

 

 

 

Actually theres a reason for this, I wanted a semi-modular AND 80+ Gold PSU, and the minimum was 550W from a decent brand like Corsair, I know it might be overkill, but I really do not like cheaping out over it, and we actually don't have the best power right now, sometimes turning on shower dims a bulb, and we have lots of power cuts compared to rest of UK (8-9 neighbourhood wide in 2 years), sometimes it comes on and off in minutes when it happens, so I just want it to be more than fine there for peace of mind.

 

The 650W was the same price as the 550W of the same corsair PSU model. Is there any negatives in going for the 650W?

 

I heavily considered this route, as well as a Silverstone Milo 10 build VESA mounted to the back of the monitor, but due to the principles listed in my OP (repairabililty, being able to move my 3.5" HDD into it) I went for this approach instead. I prefer more airflow, having plenty of space to chuck in upgrades or replace every individual part if needed, hard drives laying around, etc etc. Even with the Milo 10 and a low profile CPU cooler, mounting a 3.5" HDD meant it sat literally almost against the CPU cooler, covering it entirely over the top, which is terrible for both components. 

I mainly went for B560 because it unlocks RAM speeds and is cheaper, but the support for 11th gen is also nice C: